Harris County established the Immigrant Legal Services Fund in 2020 to provide money to organizations that help migrants facing deportation obtain lawyers.
2020
high
temporal
Local government program to fund legal assistance for migrants facing deportation.
Prior to 2020, Harris County was the largest U.S. county without a program to help migrants obtain legal counsel.
December 31, 2019
medium
temporal
Comparative status of county-level legal-assistance programs for migrants before the establishment of Harris County's fund.
A 2019 court-approved consent decree in Harris County eliminated most cash bail for misdemeanor offenses and required release on unsecured bonds.
January 01, 2019
high
temporal
Terms of the 2019 consent decree addressing misdemeanor bail practices in Harris County.
The 2019 Harris County misdemeanor bail reform consent decree established an independent monitor to oversee compliance with the decree's bail-practice requirements.
January 01, 2019
high
temporal
Accountability mechanism created by the 2019 consent decree related to misdemeanor bail reform in Harris County.
A 2019 consent decree in the O'Donnell case eliminated most cash bail for misdemeanor offenses in Harris County, required release on unsecured bonds for many misdemeanor charges, and established an independent monitor to oversee compliance with the decree.
January 01, 2019
high
temporal
Terms and structural changes set by the court-approved consent decree addressing misdemeanor bail procedures in Harris County.
A 2016 class-action lawsuit known as O'Donnell alleged that Harris County's prior misdemeanor bail practices were unconstitutional because they detained people charged with misdemeanors who could not afford cash bail.
January 01, 2016
high
temporal
Legal claim underlying the O'Donnell litigation challenging cash bail for misdemeanors in Harris County.
A 2016 class-action lawsuit alleged that Harris County, Texas, detained people charged with misdemeanors solely because they could not afford cash bail, arguing that those bail practices were unconstitutional.
January 01, 2016
high
temporal
Background legal claim that prompted the O'Donnell litigation challenging misdemeanor cash bail practices in Harris County.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo stated that migrants at deportation hearings who do not have attorneys are deported about 90% of the time, compared with about 5% of the time when they have attorneys.
medium
temporal
Claim about the effect of legal representation on deportation outcomes.